SEATTLE -- Dwight native Shawn Pedersen has found the perfect
playground in and around Seattle. He can ride his mountain bike
close to home or make forays into the wilderness to race the bike
in the mountains. He can kayak in the sea.

His longest bike race this year took him 100 miles in 29½
continuous hours across snowmobile trails and frozen rivers and
lakes on the tundra of Alaska. He pedaled through the night as
temperatures dipped to minus 20 degrees.

"There were a few times I had discussions out loud with myself
about why I was there. But I've learned to manage the pain, manage
the risk," said Pedersen, 32, son of Doug and JoAnn Pedersen of
Dwight.

He has shorter races scheduled this summer, 30 and 40 miles, but
many of those miles are up and down.

"It's certainly different coming from corn and soybeans to the
mountains," he said. "But I wouldn't change it. I love it."

Pedersen started his trek from Dwight to Seattle in Chicago,
where he became a bike mechanic for REI Inc., a national sporting
goods chain. A buddy decided to move to Albuquerque, N.M. Pedersen
thought that sounded good, so he took a job with REI there.

It was time to move again when forest fires shut down his
favorite pastime, mountain biking. But where this time? When he got
out a map, Seattle stood out. He'd never been there, but two
friends moved there earlier, so he decided to join them.

He again got a mechanic's job with REI, this time at the
company's flagship store. He's risen to lead technician of 20
mechanics who assemble new bikes and repair bikes and ski
equipment.

The job is perfect for him, and the surroundings suit him just
as much.

"I love it. We have mountains, volcanoes, ocean and
beaches."

Pedersen enjoys hiking. But his passions are mountain biking and
kayaking, and the Pacific Northwest offers plenty of both. He loves
to race in mountain bike events, especially 24-hour solo races
where riders complete as many loops on a course as possible across
high mountain trails.

He also enjoys cyclocross, which includes biking, running and
climbing over obstacles while carrying his bike.

He's taken part in an eight-person team relay race on a course
that travels down a mountain to the sea. A skier passes the baton
to another skier who passes it to a downhill runner who passes it
to two canoeists, who pass it to a mountain bike rider, who passes
it to a kayaker, who was Pedersen. To soothe his equally strong
passion for water, Pedersen modified his home workshop into an
assembly area where he plans to build his own kayak this
summer.

He enjoys epic mountain-bike rides that require climbs of 6,000
to 10,000 feet.

Even "average" mountain bike rides around Seattle offer climbs
of 1,000 to 4,000 feet on trails with mud, tree roots and rock.

His only road bike race on the calendar is the Paradise Ride, 40
miles up and 40 miles down mountains near Mount Rainer.

The name of the ride comes from the midway point, Paradise
Resort, not because it's heaven to do, he said. Temperature can
reach 90 degrees in the summer even at that altitude.

Pedersen travels into Canada and Alaska to do endurance races,
such as the frigid Susitna 100 held near Anchorage in February.

The temperature dipped so low at night his camera froze. Every
competitor -- whether riding a mountain bike, cross-country skiing
or running -- was responsible for toting a long list of survival
gear, including a sleeping bag rated to minus 20 degrees and a
minimum of 3,000 calories of food at all times.

Pedersen carried 10,000 calories. The wind blew snow across the
trails and created huge drifts. Snowmobiles loosened the top layers
of the trail so narrow bike tires would sink.

He used 4-inch wide tires with little air so they flattened and
rolled on top.

"Two hundred people signed up, 150 showed up and 27 had to be
evacuated by airplane. If you can't get out on your own, you had to
be flown out," he said.

"If you finish it in those conditions, you are a winner," said
his mom. "I know I'm just being a very proud mother, but he is just
an amazing young man."

In warm weather, Pedersen has raced the 40-mile mountainous Test
of Metal in British Columbia, with its 4,000 feet of climbing,
several times.

The event is grueling, yes, but popular, too. Registrations for
1,000 people sell out in less than 20 minutes. The GearJammer in
July is this summer's main event for him. The 30-mile route has
even more elevation gain than the Test of Metal.

"Nuts? I think so," he said.

Subscribe to Breaking News

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.